Katie Holmes, Hollywood and the Lure of Scientology

Katie Holmes, you know the name! She’s the brown eyed, addictively adorable,
Catholic girl from Ohio who is best known for her work on the hit TV series
Dawson’s Creek. Okay, maybe you know her
best from her roles in films such as Go, Batman Begins, or Thank You for
Smoking. Or maybe, just maybe, all that
has been thrown to the wayside, and we now tend to see her as that girl who
married Tom Cruise and subsequently converted to Scientology.

Recently we’ve been hearing a lot of commotion about
Scientology in the media and how it seems to have taken a hold of
Hollywood. Just drive down Hollywood
Blvd and you’ll notice four to five Scientology churches within a one mile
stretch of road. Somehow this belief
system has managed to acquire some pretty well known devotees. Some of Scientology’s more famous believers
include John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, and of course,
good ol’ “TomKat”. So what is it about
Scientology that is so controversial?
What is it that seems to attract the Hollywood elite and few others, in
particular, Katie Holmes?

Scientology was founded in 1954 and is based off the
teachings of a science fiction writer named L. Ron Hubbard. The religion is fundamentally based off of
the best selling book; “Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health”, which
is said to be a patchwork of teachings from different areas of thought such as
hypnosis, Freudian theory, and Buddhism.
The practical application of the religion focuses on identifying and
correcting negative habits by a process called “auditing” which is designed to
control the reactive mind using a machine called an “E-meter”. Within the organization there is a series of
“ranks” that one strives to advance through in order to become “fully
aware”. It is said that some of the most
“advanced” ranks are privy to sacred information involving aliens and evil
spirits (but that is a story for another time).
I’ll try to stay on topic.

Scientology has long been concerned with the recruiting of
celebrities. In fact, it has been a driving force in their expansion. Their philosophy being, that you can reach
the most people by recruiting policy makers and other influential members of
society. Celebrities certainly fit these
criteria. There is even a “celebrity
center” located in Hollywood where the most elite members of Scientology get to
pamper themselves in a country club-like environment. This explains a lot as to why Scientology has
the image it does and to why so many tinsel-town elites make their way
there.

To talk about the bad publicity and questionable behavior
that Scientology has been associated with would move well beyond the scope of
this article, and honestly I just don’t have the energy. But the information is available if you want
to find it. As for now, let’s focus on
Katie.

Katie Holmes met long time Scientologist, Tom Cruise, in 2005; and after a
whirl-wind romance, Tom proposed on top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Shortly after, they were married in a
“traditional” Scientology wedding in Italy and then legally married in Los
Angeles, CA. It is said that
Scientologists are to have little tolerance for non-scientologists, which means
for Katie; marriage and Scientology went hand-in-hand.

In public the couple appear to be happy and healthy, however
information about Katie’s pregnancy regimen caused some concerns as to the
health of the star and her now, four-year-old child, Suri. This controversial pregnancy protocol was
said to include intense auditing sessions, written confessions to Tom, herbal
supplements (concocted by L Ron himself), and of course a silent birth…which
I’m told can be a bit of a struggle. J

Currently, it’s still up for
debate as to whether the star is a full-blown believer or just being nudged
enough by her husband to fit the profile.
Regardless, she has been repeatedly seen with her “Scientologist
chaperone”; Jessica Rodriquez, and may be preparing for her 2nd
child as she has been reported to be attending more and more auditing sessions
at the Hollywood Scientology Center. But
who knows for sure, with celebrity gossip being the big business it is, its
hard to tell if she’s there for the relaxation and isolation or if she just
really likes the kool-aid.

Daniel Royse is the founder and editor in chief of the online travel publication, This Boundless World. He has written numerous articles on travel, business and politics and has recently completed his first full-length novel titled The Watermelon King.
Daniel is an obsessive writer and explorer who has backpacked to over 50 countries, spanning five continents. To the disbelief of many, he still enjoys long, hot bus rides through chaotic places.
More information about The Watermelon King can be found at www.thewatermelonking.com